1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk player, and more particularly to a device for restraint of a disk-carrier in a disk-reading position in the disk player.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional compact disk (CD) player, a tray adapted to carry a disk is driven by a drive mechanism to reciprocate between a disk-reading position inside the player and an ejected position outside the player for insertion and/or removal of the disk mounted thereon. A disk-reading device including a turntable is arranged beneath the tray in the disk-reading position, and a clamp device is mounted above the turntable to allow relative elevation so that when it becomes closer to the turntable, they cooperate with each other to clamp the disk therebetween for playback of the disk.
A disk player with disk changer functions is also well known. The disk player of this type typically includes a removable stacker or magazine for storing a plurality of disks. In a position of the stacker installed in the disk player, a desired one of disks stored in the stacker may be transported to a disk-reading position in opposition to a disk-reading device.
Another type disk player with disk changer functions is disclosed in a co-pending application Ser. No. 07/572,050, filed Aug. 23, 1990, which comprises a nondetachable stacker for receiving a plurality of disks in a concentric array, a plurality of subframes each adapted to receive a disk and a single main frame adapted to receive one of the subframes. The main frame is movable between a disk-reading position inside the player and a disk-inserting/removing position outside the player. When the main frame stands in the disk-inserting/removing position, a disk may be inserted into or removed from the subframe received therein. This player allows a new disk to be read without necessity of removing the stacker.
In the conventional and above-referred updated disk players, with or without disk changer functions, it is required that the tray or main frame adapted to directly or indirectly carry the disk should be laid under restraint in the disk-reading position. Displacement of the disk from a predetermined disk-reading position may result in a failure of relative elevation between the turntable and the clamp device to bar the disk-clamping action. Leap-out of the tray should be prevented when the disk mounted thereon is being read by the disk-reading device.
Japanese patent publication No. 132,658/1985 discloses an example of the tray-locking device in which an elevatable clamp arm 4 is provided with a downward projecting lock pin 6 which is engageable with a recess 5 of a tray 3 when the clamp arm 4 is lowered for the disk-clamping action. In this arrangement, however, the tray-locking operation can not be started until the tray has reached the disk-reading position, which involves a considerable time lag in operation.
In accordance with the above-mentioned conventional tray-locking device, even when the tray carrying no disk is to be locked in the disk-reading position, the clamp arm should be lowered for engagement between the recess and the lock pin, while no disk-clamping action is required in this case. Moreover, this tray-locking device can not be employed in the updated disk player with disk changer functions proposed in the co-pending application, since the disk should be separated away from the tray in the disk-reading position to be stored in a desired one of stairs in the stacker mounted deep within the player.